Programmable thermostats (e.g., thermostats designed to adjust temperature according to a number of programmed settings) can be an important part of energy management in many types of structures, including, but not limited to, homes, apartments, and offices. For example, the programmed settings of an area (e.g., a room in a house) can be adjusted according to the time of day and/or the day of the week, thereby reducing and/or eliminating the waste of energy resulting from heating and/or cooling areas at unnecessary times.
Users of programmable thermostats may minimize and/or negate the energy and/or cost saving potential of programmable thermostats by programming them ineffectively (e.g., not using the programmed settings optimally). For example, programmable thermostats may be difficult to program, and/or optimizing their use may require the user to predict the user's heating and/or cooling needs. Users may find that programming a programmable thermostat may be so burdensome as to abandon any attempts to use the programming function altogether. Additionally, a user may improperly program a thermostat causing heating and/or cooling systems to activate at times when the user is not home. This may result in the user's energy bills being unnecessarily expensive.